Taiwan’s Mobile Data Services User:
Survey Results 2007
III-FIND
Selena Lin
Outline
 About FIND
 Mobile Market in Taiwan
 WMDS Survey Method
 Overview of the Usage of Taiwan’s MDS
About III & FIND
• III-Institute for Information Industry
– A non-profit organization
– Research and development for Taiwan's
information industry sector
– Aim of improving the productivity and
competitiveness of all industries through the use
of IT
• FIND-Foreseeing Innovative News Digiservice
– From 1996
– A research team under III
– Mission: to provide abundant and professional
information on Internet demographics and trends.
Mobile Market in Taiwan
Mobile Phone Subscribers in Taiwan
Million
30
25
114%
109%
Subscribers
97%
Penetration
20
21.8
15
52%
10
5
24.4
80%
22%
100%100%101%
100% 97%
25.8
22.8 22.2 22.8 22.8 23.0
17.9
11.5
120%
90%
60%
30%
4% 5% 7%
0.43%0.53%0.6 0.8 1.0 1.5 4.7
0.2 2%
0.1 1%
0%
0%
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
/6
20
06
/6
20
06
/9
0
Note: The number of subscribers are based on the number of mobile phone numbers actually in use,
including 2G, 3G and PHS.
Source: NCC/Compiled by III-FIND
Operators in Taiwan
Operator
Cellular Network
Subscribers
(Thousands)
GSM
7,862
WCDMA
296
GSM
6101
WCDMA
100
GSM
6,059
WCDMA
80
CDMA
850
3.8
WCDMA
15
0
PHS
1,100
4.9
22,463
100
CHT
Taiwan Mobile
Far EasTone
Asia Pacific
Broadband
Wireless (APBW)
Vibo Telecom
Fitel
Total
Source: Gartner (March 2006)
Market Share
(Dec. 2005)
36.3
27.6
27.3
Taiwan’s Mobile Market Event
• 2002
– GPRS launched
• July 2003
– Asia Pacific Broadband Wireless Launched First 3G service
• Mid-2005
– Three major 2G operators rolled out 3G service
• Oct. 2005
– The introduction of mobile number portability
• Feb. 2006
– NCC (National communications commission) has been formally
established
• Sep. 2006
– CHT and Far EasTone launched HSDPA service
– offered in several areas of Taipei City and the Hsinchu Science Park
• Dec. 2006
– Taiwan Mobile launched BlackBerry service costs NT$899 (approx
US$27) a month
WMDS Survey Method
WMDS Survey in Taiwan
• Why Taiwan need WMDS survey?
– To draw the full view of mobile data service usage in
Taiwan
– To compare with user behaviors among operators
• Methodology
– On-line Survey
– Sponsorship
• Sponsors provide incentive for responders
– Including handsets, Prepaid card, etc……
• Portals provide free web advertisement
• Survey period
– Oct.20- Nov.19, 2006
• Sample size
– 4,996 samples
Sponsorship
• Government
• Internet Content
Providers
– Industrial Development
Bureau
• Mobile operators
– Sogi
– Every8D
– Far Eastone Telecom
– First International
Telecom
– VIBO
• Portals
– Yahoo!Kimo
– Yam
– PChome
Overview of the Usage of
Taiwan’s Mobile Data Services
Usage of Mobile Data Service
Mobile Data Services has been defined as: an assortment of digital data
services that can be accessed using a mobile phone.
Never Used but not
planning to do so
in future
10%
10%
Y2004
Y2005
14%
Y2006
Never Used but
planning to do so
in future
29%
29%
28%
18%
Used before but not
current using
19%
19%
43%
Currently Using
42%
40%
Source: III-FIND, 2006
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Monthly Expenditure on MDS
US$25.2
US$22.2
1,000
734
800
N
T
$
600
400
200
14.40%
834
15%
10%
8.30%
US$3.6
US$1.8
120
61
0
%
5%
0%
Total respondents
Total expense
Source: III-FIND, 2006
Data expense
Currently using respondents
Data as % of Total expense
Frequency on using Mobile Data weekly
0%
Less than 1 min
10%
20%
30%
40%
60%
2.1%
1-10mins
51.5%
11-20mins
24.8%
21-30mins
10.5%
31-40mins
3.1%
41-60mins
2.6%
more than 1 hr
50%
5.3%
15.5 min each month on average
Note：Currently Using Respondents
Source: III-FIND, 2006
Location of Using Mobile Data Services
An increase in the use of mobile data services in transit and in public
32.8%
33.8%
Y2006
33.3%
20.0%
12.8%
26.7%
34.9%
Y2005
0%
10%
20%
35.0%
30%
40%
Workplace/School
Note：Currently Using Respondents
Source: III-FIND, 2006
50%
Home
60%
9.9%
16.8%
70%
In transit
80%
90%
In public
100%
Usage on MDS Category
Mobile Subscribers
60%
52.2%
33.8%
40%
24.1%
17.4%
20%
0%
M-Communication M-Entertainment
Note: n=6,228
Source: III-FIND, 2006
M-Content
M-Commerce
Usage on MDS Category
Mobile Data Service Users
100%
92.0%
67.4%
80%
60%
46.0%
32.5%
40%
20%
0%
M-Communication
M-Entertainment
Not often
somewhat often
Note: Currently using respondents，n=2,487
Source: III-FIND, 2006
M-Content
Often
Very often
M-Commerce
Frequency and location on MDS category
Using locations
Frequency monthly
0%
15
T
i
m
m 10
o
e
n
s
t
5
h
p
e
r 0
20%
40%
60%
14.1%
19.4%
80%
12.1
M-Communication
2.7
2.8
34.5%
M-Entertainment
27.1%
9.6% 14.1%
M-Content
28.7%
21.5%
32.0%
49.1%
24.4%
25.4%
1.1
M-Commerce
M-Communication M-Entertainment
M-Content
32.9%
17.0% 14.1%
35.9%
M-Commerce
Workplace/ School In Public In Transit Home
Note：Current MDS users，n=2,487
Source: III-FIND, 2006
100%
Top 10 Mobile Data Services
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
36.3%
Ring tone download
31.5%
MMS
30.6%
Graphic download
News
e-Mail
Enertainment/ Sport news
21.8%
19.6%
18.9%
16.5%
Mobile instand messaging
15.4%
Weather
15.4%
Note：mobile subscribers，n=6,228
Source: III-FIND, 2006
60%
50.9%
SMS
Java game download
50%
MDS Usage by systems
100%
82.3%
83.1%
80%
61.4%
68.0%
60%
55.6%
58.3%
40%
20%
0%
PHS users
3G users
2006
Note：Mobile subscribers，n=6,228
Source: III-FIND, 2006
2005
GPRS/WAP users
Mobile Worker
Mobile worker means that more than 20% working time will leave the main job site, or
the person who doesn't have regular workplace
Where the mobile worker?
Mobile worker's proportion
Mobile worker
13.9%
35%
31.2%
30%
22.7%
25%
20%
15%
10.6%
10%
non-mobile worker
86.1%
5%
0%
Office
Note：workers，n=3,723
Source: III-FIND, 2006
Home
others
Conclusion
• WMDS is very important
– To understand the status of mobile data service
– To find out the position where my country stands
– For operators to compare
• Find out the factors that obstruct the market
development
– Content is poor?
– Too expensive?
– Handset issue?
• What the most popular services in other countries?
– Good business model
– Another platform
Thank you!! 
http://www.find.org.tw/eng
You can find more information
about Taiwan’s ICT development on this website.